This invention concerns a locking device for substrate sockets which locks a substrate (electronic circuitry substrate, for example) that is inserted into a substrate socket.
Generally, electronic parts are mounted at a high density into portable personal computers, for example. The mother board that is stored inside is equipped with a substrate socket so that a memory substrate, for example, can be installed, and it can be optionally upgraded. The said substrate socket is also equipped with a locking device that locks so that the substrate that is inserted will not be removed through impact, for example.
As a conventional locking device of this type, a locking device is already known which was proposed by this applicant in the official report for the Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. Hei 8[1996]-190958, and equipped in an electronic circuitry substrate socket. This locking device has a structure in which it is equipped with a latch consisting of: a base end section, which is supported in a freely rotatable manner at the back side of the substrate in a condition in which it is inserted into a substrate socket; a base section which projects out to the front side of the said substrate from this base end section; and a connecting section which is provided at the front end of this base section, and is also equipped with a spring section which presses down this latch, and in a locked condition where the substrate is locked, the connecting section is connected to a recessed engaging section formed at the substrate, and in a released condition in which the connecting section is elastically displaced at the base end section as the point of support, the connection to the substrate at the connecting section is canceled. Through this, the operational amount of displacement of the connecting section in the direction of the surface of the substrate decreases, and high density mounting while eliminating dead space surrounding the locking device can be attained.
In the conventional locking device for a substrate socket described above, the connecting section, which is pressed down by the spring section, is connected to the substrate that is inserted into the substrate socket, locking the said substrate. Therefore, the locked state is reliably maintained in a general manner of use.
However, because a portable personal computer, for example, is carried around and utilized, the risk of an excessive amount of impact force being applied to the locking device is great when it is dropped on the ground, for example. Therefore, the capability of constantly and reliably maintaining the locked state without canceling a locking is requested in this type of locking device even under severe environments of use, such as the application of an excessive amount of impact force, for example.
This invention meets such a request in the conventional type, and its aim is to offer a locking device for a substrate socket which maintains a constant and reliable locked state under a severe condition of use, such as the application of an excessive amount of impact, for example, and the reliability can be drastically improved, while assuring the basic advantage of attaining high density mounting while eliminating dead space surrounding the locking device.
This invention for the construction of a locking device for a substrate socket S, which locks a substrate B that is inserted into a substrate socket S, has the characteristic of being equipped with a latch (2) consisting of a base end section (3), which is supported at the back side of the substrate B in a condition in which it is inserted into the substrate socket S; a base section (4), which projects out to the front side of the said substrate B from this base end section (3); and a connecting section (5), which is provided at the front end of this base section (4) and has a primary connecting section (5a) and a secondary connecting section (5b), in a locked state Mc in which the substrate B is locked, the primary connecting section (5a) is connected to the recessed engaging section Bh formed at the substrate B, and the secondary connecting section (5b) is also connected to the end section Bs of the substrate B, and in a released state Mr in which the connecting section (5) is elastically displaced at the base end section (3) as the point of support, the connection to the substrate B by the primary connecting section (5a) and the secondary connecting section (5b) is canceled.
In this case, in a satisfactory manner of implementation, the base end section (3) is positioned between the primary connecting section (5) and the secondary connecting section (5b) in the direction of the surface of the substrate B and in the direction of the displacement of the connecting section (5). Also, the base end section (3) of the latch (2) is supported in a freely rotatable manner, and the base section (4) is pressed into the locking direction by a spring section (6), and the position is also controlled at a constant position in the locking direction. On the other hand, the base section (4) engages with the inside of the recessed engaging section Bh in the locked state Mc, and controls the position of the substrate B in the direction of the surface. Also, inclined faces (5as) and (5bs), which allow the substrate B to pass by escaping when the said substrate B inserted hits the substrate socket S, and a controlling knob (7) are respectively provided to the engaging section (5).
Through this, the locking device (1) is pressed in a direction in which the base section (4) locks by the spring section (6) in a natural state, and the position is controlled at the constant position in the locking direction as well. Accordingly, the connecting section (5) escapes by the inclined faces (5as) and (5bs) when the substrate B is directly inserted into the substrate socket S, and the substrate B can be installed into the substrate socket S. Through this, the locking device (1) has the locked state Mc, the primary connecting section (5a) of the connecting section (5), which is pressed by the spring section (6), is connected to the recessed connecting section Bh formed at the substrate B, and the secondary connecting section (5b) is connected to the edge side section Bs of the substrate B, and the substrate B is locked. In the locked state Mc, because the base end section (3) is positioned between the primary connecting section (5a) and the secondary connecting section (5b) in the direction of the surface of the substrate B and in the direction of displacement of the connecting section (5), the connecting section (5) cannot be displaced at the base end section (3) as the point of support even if the substrate B attempts to escape from the substrate socket S when an external force interacts in the orthogonal direction to the substrate B. Accordingly, the locked state Mc is always and reliably maintained even under severe environments of use, such as the application of an excessive amount of impact force, for example. On the other hand, when removing the substrate B from the substrate socket S, the locking device (1) will have a released state Mr by elastically displacing the connecting section (5) with the base substrate (3) as the point of support, the connection to the substrate B by the primary connecting section (5a) and the secondary connecting section (5b) will be canceled, and the substrate B can be removed.